Unfinished business: Post 63 ends in washout

By Conor O'Neill / Times-News

Published: Monday, July 8, 2013 at 12:25 AM.

“We still had five innings to be played, lot of ball to be played only to be down 3-0,” Gunn said. “This team can get hot quick. We scored nine runs (Saturday night). … We know we can score runs in bunches.”

Post 87 used two singles and a sacrifice fly by Zach McLean to score the nightcap’s first run. That came on the first four pitches of the game by Post 63 starter Dallas Baldwin.

It tacked on two runs in the fourth inning on a lead-off home run by Zach Mikalski and on a safety squeeze bunt by Mitch Carstens.

“We battled this team, basically we were 4-2 against them this season,” said Post 63 manager Johnny Slaughter, referencing two regular-season victories. “But we didn’t win the game we needed to win (Saturday) night in order to make sure we could continue to play.”

Post 63’s Brock Deatherage had the team’s two hits and advanced to third base with two outs each time, but was stranded there.

In Game 4, Alan Sharpe threw a complete game and allowed one unearned run on two days of rest. Sharpe worked around a few dicey situations and struck out seven while surrendering one walk. He pitched eight innings in the first game of the series Thursday night.

GRAHAM — Before Burlington-Graham Post 63 had a chance to come back from a three-run deficit, it had to wait out thunderstorms Sunday night at Tom Zachary Field.

But Post 63 couldn’t overcome Mother Nature, and will be left with unfinished feeling to its season.

The decisive final game of the first-round American Legion baseball playoff series against High Point Post 87 was called off because of thunderstorms passing through the area.

Without finishing Sunday night’s game, the teams had split the first four games of the best-of-5 series. Because Game 5 was called off and the series had to be finished by Sunday night, Post 87 advances because it won two of the first three games in the series (Games 2 and 3).

“I thought we had a good feeling coming into (Sunday) night, but just got shorted out of one,” said Post 63’s Adam Gunn. “It’s out of our control now.”

Game 5 ended after four innings with Post 87 (18-8) leading 3-0. The final game of the series was forced because Post 63 (12-8) won Game 4 by 4-1 earlier Sunday at Thomasville’s Finch Field.

But with five innings and 15 outs left, Gunn and Post 63 were left with a bitter of feeling to end the season while the tarp was on the field.

“We still had five innings to be played, lot of ball to be played only to be down 3-0,” Gunn said. “This team can get hot quick. We scored nine runs (Saturday night). … We know we can score runs in bunches.”

Post 87 used two singles and a sacrifice fly by Zach McLean to score the nightcap’s first run. That came on the first four pitches of the game by Post 63 starter Dallas Baldwin.

It tacked on two runs in the fourth inning on a lead-off home run by Zach Mikalski and on a safety squeeze bunt by Mitch Carstens.

“We battled this team, basically we were 4-2 against them this season,” said Post 63 manager Johnny Slaughter, referencing two regular-season victories. “But we didn’t win the game we needed to win (Saturday) night in order to make sure we could continue to play.”

Post 63’s Brock Deatherage had the team’s two hits and advanced to third base with two outs each time, but was stranded there.

In Game 4, Alan Sharpe threw a complete game and allowed one unearned run on two days of rest. Sharpe worked around a few dicey situations and struck out seven while surrendering one walk. He pitched eight innings in the first game of the series Thursday night.

Post 87 scored the game’s first run in the third, but Post 63 responded in the top of the fourth with three runs. Post 63 added another run in the fifth.

Gunn and Ben Kelley each recorded two hits.

Sharpe, a recent graduate of Williams High School who has played 3½ American Legion seasons, doesn’t plan on playing in college. In that regard, he said he didn’t have to be worried about injuring his arm for the future.

“If this is it, this is it. Just go out … and give it all you’ve got,” Sharpe said. “At least you went out with a good one. A complete game against a good team like High Point, that’s … a great way to say that was a final start.”